OK, so I'm new to this site but I have some serious critiques over most of the films here (no I'm not talking about shooting on miniDV with no lighting setups). My main qualm is about the age of the actors. It seems most filmmakers use their friends as actors, or just cast their peers in roles that need to be played by much older actors. I just saw a short (forget the name) and it deals with a guy who's kid has died and he's divorced and he's also a coporate executive. The guy playing him couldn't even pass for 22 years old. Why the laziness? I'm curious to know why so many student filmmakers ruin their films by having younger characters playing older roles. Another major problem I have is movies that are too large in scope and scale to be attempted even on a decent sized indie budget (read: action films). I just saw a short, where the main actors are all high school kids and it really should be a comedy because there's hilarious wirefu, lots of senseless driving around in cars (not cars crashing, just driving around) and bad dialogue. I know I'm only 20, and I don't go to film school, but I take the time to do things right: holding auditions for actors, hiring a pro DP, renting grip equipment, locations, having an art department, etc. I'd like to hear people's thoughts on this.

In response to your questions, some of the films on here are done by highschool students who dont have a lot of resorces so they go ahead and make the film with younger actors just to get the expirience of film making. I think its well known that some people look to young for these parts on here, but I think, and many agree its better to work with what you have then to not make the film at all. If you want a few good movies with people casted to fit the right age groups check these out:

Unfinished Tradgedy
Recycled
Better than Minnesota
Orphans
Midnight In A Perfect World

there are a lot of films on this site, some of which arnt very good, while others are extrodinary and a lot of times I have looked past misscasted actors because I love the Idea or the cinematography some of these are

Fallen
The Road Home

and there are many more you will find as you search the site deeper. When will you be sending in some of your work so we can see it? It usually helps us understand and see where your comming from plus people like to see the work of people who are critiquing them also. Welcome to the site!

Actually the two films I'm talking about were made by college students, (film students, no less). If they were high school filmmakers I would forgive them, because when I was in high school I got my friends to act in stuff.